(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tools, and more particularly to tools for removing insulation from high voltage power lines.
(2) Prior Art
Removal of insulation, often quite thick and tenacious, from power lines is common everyday practice for people in the electric power industry.
A common way of removing a portion, say a 4 or 5 inch segment of insulation from a live high voltage power line, is to throw a thin nylon cord over the power line and fully around it once, and pull it back and forth until the insulation is cut through. The cord is then moved to the next location where it is simularly pulled, and then a knife on the end of an insulative pole is utilized to chip-away at the remaining insulation between the cuts. This procedure is done in spite of (or maybe because of) tools available in the trade such as shown in: U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,800 to Matthews, which discloses a complicated motorized, geared, cable shaving tool; U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,232 to Cornell, Jr., which discloses a single spring biased blade for etching away insulation; U.S. Pat. No. 3,614,904, which discloses a spiral cutter for removing the insulation from the end of a wire; U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,117, which discloses a very complicated cam and spring actuated cutting jaws arrangement for removing insulation; U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,036, which discloses a rack and pinion gear arrangement between a pair of articulable handles, which brings a pair of opposed blades into engagement with the wire, the disadvantage being the need for short handles, otherwise the "squeeze together" distance at their proximal end would be too large for someone to work; and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,104, which discloses a chevron shaped arrangement of cutting blades adapted to cut optical cable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple tool readily utilizable in the field, by personnel who cut live high voltage power line insulation.